Officials should listen to voters

Sun, 05/18/2014 - 7:50amadmin

Editor:As a resident of Highland Park we received a letter from the office of the County commissioners dated April 2, 2014. In the letter they wrote about the West Glendive Sewer Lagoon, and we were not in compliance with the DEQ discharge parameters. So, they hired Great West Engineering Inc. to determine a course of action to resolve the issue. They were presented with four alternatives.We had 30 days to submit written comments to the county if we protested the sewer district. The deadline for the comments and protest was May 6, 2014 at 10 a.m. and a public meeting was scheduled at that time. At no point in the letter did it state that 50 percent of the people in West Glendive would have to submit a written protest to the County to stop the Sewer District proposal.At the meeting questions were asked in which no answers were given. The Commissioners response was to answer them at a later date. The response by the commissioners in the Ranger article titled Sewer District facts in my view do not qualify as answering our questions.Also the commissioners said they would hold off combining the three sewer systems for 30 days, with more public communication. In the public notice section of Ranger Review they wrote they would accept written protests until May 20, 2014 by 5 p.m. The protest must be in writing and be delivered to the County Clerk and Recorder at 207 W. Bell. With a special hearing on May 22, 2014 at 7 p.m. in the County Courthouse Courtroom.First, the residents of West Glendive would like the 30 days not the 14 days they agreed to for response.Second, I’m not in favor of combining the sewer systems into one sewer district for many reasons. One reason is with one sewer district it would make it easier to annex West Glendive into the City of Glendive. The officials claim it has nothing to do with that. I have my own thoughts on that.Third, the County and the City are going into a combined sewer system which does not save us or them money. They don’t know for sure what the cost will be until after construction starts. Great West Engineering is already thirty-three percent low on their own estimation.To get the facts read the Preliminary Engineering Report written by Great West Engineering. It’s at the Courthouse.This is an election year. Our elected officials should listen to the voice of the people. Read the newspaper, get involved and please get out and vote.Sincerely,Tom Ames and Jerald Howard